Tel Aviv Police Chief Ami Eshed announced today, Wednesday, that he will resign from his position due to political interference from members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government. He stated that they want to use excessive force against protesters opposing the government.
Eshed did not mention National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has called for strict measures against the protesters who have closed roads in unprecedented demonstrations against the controversial government efforts to amend the judicial system.
Shortly after Eshed's announcement, hundreds of protesters organized marches throughout Tel Aviv while carrying Israeli flags and chanting "Democracy." Some blocked a major highway, set fires, and clashed with mounted police.
In a televised statement, Eshed said he could not act as the "ministerial group" expected, claiming they violated all regulations and intervened blatantly in the professional decision-making process.
He added: "I could have easily met those expectations using unreasonable force that would have filled the emergency room at Ichilov (Tel Aviv's hospital) at the end of each protest."
He continued: "For the first time in three decades of service, I faced an absurd reality where I was not asked to maintain calm and order, but rather the opposite."
In televised remarks, Ben Gvir stated that Eshed had crossed a "dangerous line."
